Metaverse pioneer and special effects team unite for blockchain project
The blockchain protocol launched by New York Times best-selling author Neal Stephenson, who conceived the term metaverse in a 1992 novel, has collaborated with a special effects firm known for their work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy on blockchain-based endeavor.
In an announcement sent to Cointelegraph, Stephensons Lamina1 protocol said it is launching a worldbuilding project with WWorkshop, a special effects and video game development company based in New Zealand.
WWorkshop is known for its work on producing sets, costumes, armor, weapons and creatures for hit films The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Blueprint for intellectual property expansion
According to the announcement, the experience will be called Artefact. It will create a framework for intellectual property (IP) development and participatory worldbuilding with Stephenson. The project will introduce a blueprint for IP expansion using experiences incorporating fan inputs.
Stephenson and the Wteam will engage with community creators through the blockchain protocol Lamina1 and invite them to unravel the lore behind a set of Artefacts. This will build upon themes and lore from Stephensons work as an author.
Stephenson asserted that the project will be more than a world but an infrastructure that allows the building of worlds. He said:
This is more than just a new virtual world its a new way to build worlds. Its a promising new way of looking at what we can offer to both creators and their communities."
The author added that collaborating with WWorkshop will create a new path in digital worldbuilding. The executive said that Lamina1s creator economy and open metaverse will provide a foundation for long-term value.
The announcement also added that the upcoming project will serve as a flagship project of Lamina1 to showcase a major multimedia launch on the platforms blockchain infrastructure.
Steering into immersive spaces
Lamina1 CEO Rebecca Barkin shared their definition of the metaverse within the project. Barkin explained:
The metaverse refers to an always-on, virtual environment where people gather and participate in both non-linear and linear stories, games, and experiences. It does not require a headset, and our experience wont yet either.
Meanwhile, the executive told Cointelegraph that worldbuilding in the projects context involves creating an expansive imaginary world with lore, history, environment and characters. Barkin said that they are creating narrative scaffolding and engaging with their audience with interactive elements.
Barkin also explained that their team is advocating for the open metaverse. As the boundaries between physical and digital worlds dissolve and we traverse persistent, connected platforms fluidly, we need to better advocate for protecting humans, their data, and their output, Barkin said.
Unlike centralized metaverses, advocates of the open metaverse push transparency, inclusiveness, decentralization and democratization into their virtual worlds.
Cointelegraph
